A Well Balanced Helga
by Em Pataki
Summary: Arnold and Helga's plans to have their parents meet for dinner are ruined when Arnold trips and hurts his ankle. Rated T for mild romance scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: I'm Here For You

It was the middle of their eighth grade year. Arnold and Helga had just shared a lovely evening together at his place having dinner with his family. After finishing the meal, Arnold walked his girlfriend home, holding her hand under the stars, wishing they could stay together longer.

As they approached her front porch, Arnold turned to face his girlfriend, taking both her hands in his. Smiling sweetly as he gazed into her sapphire eyes, he said softly "I had a really nice time with you tonight."

Doing her best not to blush, she said "Me too football head. Thanks for dinner. It's nice getting an actual meal without having to listen to a certain someone brag about the amazing job they did making it."

Helga felt him beginning to caress her warm hands, not taking his half-lidded eyes off hers. Knowing he was anxious to kiss her, she was ready to bend down when the two of them heard the door swing open "For crying out loud Miriam! Can't you do anything right?!"

As Arnold anxiously whipped his head in the direction of the door, Helga dropped her shoulders agitated at the idea of her irritating family having ruined a special moment of hers.

"Don't worry daddy, I'm on my way to get some more!"

Arnold watched Olga anxiously approach the two of them, as she headed down the porch steps. "Hello Arnold. Hi baby sister!" Olga said excitedly.

"Oh, hey Olga." Arnold replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Although he knew Olga would never judge them for such a thing, it was still embarrassing having one of their moments together interrupted.

"I'm going to the store to get daddy some coffee Helga. Would you like to come?!" Olga asked hopefully, as Helga leered "Pttss...yeah, I don't think so."

"Okay, bye baby sister!"

After watching Olga head for her car, Arnold turned to look at his irritated girlfriend. Seeing her stand with her arms crossed, looking in the opposite direction, he thought about how close he was with his family. Even after not seeing them in years, he began to bond with them right away. Helga on the other hand, just couldn't connect with hers."

Arnold's eyes then lit as he said to his girlfriend "Why don't we have our families get together for dinner?"

Turning to cock her brow at him, she quickly dismissed the idea as she asked "What makes you think I would want to do something like that?"

"You're always complaining about how much better you think they treat Olga than you…"

Interrupting her beloved, Helga said "Umm...that's because they _do_ treat her better, DOI!"

"Well, if we have our families get together, that could change. Your parents could learn more about what's going on in your life, because it wouldn't just be you trying to get their attention."

Smiling at his optimism, trying to ignore the idea of all the terrible things that could occur, Helga replied "Alright fine."

"Great! We can go shopping tomorrow!" Arnold said excitedly, seeing his girlfriend laugh at his happiness.

"Whatever floats your boat football head."

 _Saturday Morning_

Arnold awoke the next morning, anxious to meet with his girlfriend. There were many things that needed to be taken care of and the idea of dinner hadn't even been mentioned to his family yet.

After getting dressed, he raced downstairs to see his mom making breakfast with Pookey for Phil and Miles.

"Morning shortman!" Phil said, as he watched his grandson anxiously enter the kitchen.

"Morning everyone."

"We had a lovely time with Helga sweetie." Stella said, approaching her son with the food.

Not wasting any time, Arnold asked "If it's okay with you guys, she and I wanted you to have dinner with her parents. Could we invite them over tonight?"

"That sounds great son." Miles said, before being interrupted by _his_ father.

"Hmm...I don't know. That Bob Pataki's quite a character."

"Will lady Eleanor be joining us again? I'll be sure to make an extra special meal for her!" Pookey said, wearing her usual morning cowgirl get up, making Phil reconsider his words.

"Alright shortman, they can come."

 _Helga's House_

Sitting at the counter with a bowl of cereal, Helga propped her head in her hand, wondering how dinner with Arnold's family would go. She hadn't mentioned a word of it to her family yet. Would they even be willing to set aside time for her?

After letting out a deep sigh, she turned her head towards her family sharing breakfast together in the dining room.

"So when can you start asking those friends of yours to pass out the fliers? If I want this business to keep growing, I've got to keep word about it spreading around." Bob said to Olga, shoveling down the breakfast she had made for him.

"Don't worry daddy! I've already told them all about it."

Knowing it was now or never, Helga stood from the counter to approach her family.

"Well good. Now we just have to…"

"Uhh dad." Helga interrupted.

"What is it Olga?"

"I'm HELGA dad." the young girl sighed, knowing it was pointless to correct him.

"Whatever. What do you want? We're in the middle of something important over here."

Knowing they wouldn't care to join her anyway, Helga's attitude went from nervous to annoyed, as she said "I'm having dinner at Arnold's again tonight, and you're all invited. Come if you want, if not, whatever."

"Oh goody! We get to see Arnold's parents again!" Olga exclaimed, clapping her hands at the idea.

"I don't know. Is this gonna cost me anything?" Bob asked, seeing Helga cock her brow.

"Well you're being invited to another person's house to have food you didn't make yourself placed in front of you. There's really no telling." Helga said wittily.

Before Bob could respond to her sarcastic remark, the family heard a knock on the door.

No longer caring about her dad's lack of interest in her life, Helga went to answer it.

Opening the door to see her boyfriend happily standing there, ready to start their fun day preparing for their eventful night, Helga listened to Arnold ask "Hey Helga! Ready to go shopping?"

Anxious just to see him, she replied "Sure football head. Let's get going."

 _Walk_

As Arnold was about to reach for her hand, he noticed his girlfriend carrying a sheet of paper.

"What's that?"

"Well, at first I figured it would be easier just to have The Golden Child cook everything for us, as much as she enjoys showing off. Then I realized it would just give her one more thing to brag about. So, I decided to spend the night thinking of easy to make dishes for the family."

Smiling at her helpful gesture, Arnold took the list to read…

Spaghetti

Soup

Grilled cheese sandwiches

Fried vegetables

"This sounds like fun!"

"Thanks. We can only hope." she said, thinking about what her family may do to ruin things if they did decide to come.

Anxiously pulling her along, Arnold tripped as they were crossing the street.

"WHOA!" he screamed, losing his balance.

"Arnold!" Helga did her best to keep hers, while not letting him fall. She was unsuccessful however, and watched her boyfriend fall to the ground.

"Are you okay Arnold?!" she asked worriedly, sitting down beside him.

"I think so. My ankle just hurts."

Staring worriedly at him, she said softly "Well, I guess you're in no condition to be carrying heavy groceries. Let's get you home."

"We have to go shopping! I still want to have dinner tonight!" he insisted, holding onto his hurt ankle.

Shaking her head at his worry wart attitude, Helga replied "Look Arnold, the world won't end just because we postpone dinner. Now let's get you out of the street and into a real bed."

 _The Boarding House_

Standing on the porch steps with her boyfriend leaning against her, Helga said "Criminy! How are we supposed to avoid that zoo of yours without you losing your balance?"

"They won't knock me over if I lean against the wall." he insisted, as he watched her open the door.

Impatiently waiting for the flood of animals to exit the building, Helga sneered "You really ought to sell those things."

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

"What do you think the kids are buying at the store?" Stella asked, standing by the sink, washing the dishes.

"Oh I don't know. Candy, sodas, ice cream...normal things someone their age would eat for dinner." Phil suggested, turning his face away from the game of Chinese Checkers he and Miles were playing together.

"I'm looking forward to having dinner with her parents. We didn't get to say much to each other on our way back from San Lorenzo." Miles smiled, as Phil turned his attention back towards the board.

"Yeah, well don't get too excited. They...Hey wait? Did you touch anything?!"

Doing his best to hold back a laugh, Miles' facial expression changed when he saw his son limping into the kitchen with Helga.

"What happened son?"

"I tripped walking across the street." Arnold replied, disappointed with himself. The pain he felt from ruining their plans was more than enough to outweigh the pain his ankle was experiencing.

Seeing the sad look on his face, Stella walked over to place a hand on her son's shoulder and said "Let's get you upstairs sweetie. It shouldn't take too long to heal."

 _Arnold's Bedroom_

Having made it upstairs, Stella and Helga helped Arnold take a seat on his bed. "There you go sweetie. Just try to get some rest."

After watching Stella leave the room, Helga took a seat beside her boyfriend. Taking his hand in hers, she began rubbing it softly and asked "Are you okay Arnold?"

A frown formed on his face as he sighed "I was just looking forward to tonight. Like you said though, we can do it another time."

"Pttss...you were looking forward to Bob teaching your family about business and Olga updating them on her latest accomplishments? Are you sure it wasn't your _head_ you fell on?"

"Well it doesn't matter now." he frowned, while glancing down at his ankle.

Taking notice of the depressing look he was carrying, Helga smiled as she continued rubbing his hand and said "Don't worry football head. I'm here to take care of you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Let Me Help You

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

"It was very kind of you to walk Arnold home Helga!" Stella said, as she stood by counter, searching through the cabinets for some soup.

"Eh, it was nothing." Helga shrugged her shoulders, not liking the idea of being praised for such a simple gesture. Olga couldn't let the tiniest thing in her life slip without finding a way to be recognized for it. Helga on the other hand, was just happy knowing she had helped the people she cared about.

"Hmm...it looks like we're out." the sweet woman said, not sure of what to do.

Remembering her promise to Arnold, Helga offered "I could run up to the store and grab a few things."

"That's so thoughtful of you!" Stella exclaimed, grabbing her purse to give Helga some money.

"Don't sweat it." she replied, heading for the door.

"Be careful! We don't want you falling too."

"Pttss...don't worry. I'm not the excitable type like your son." Helga scoffed, before exiting the room.

 _Phoebe's House_

Sitting on her bed, working on their latest math assignment, Phoebe was finishing up her last problem when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." she chirped.

"Hey Pheebs. How's it going?" Helga asked.

"Oh, hello Helga. I'm quite well. How are you?"

"Well, football head and I were headed to the store until his giddy self fell and twisted his ankle."

"Oh my!" Phoebe gasped, placing a hand over her mouth.

"You want to run up there with me?"

"That would be delightful." the young Asian girl smiled, following her friend out the door.

 _Arnold's Room_

Laying on his bed, staring at the clouds through his glass plated ceiling, Arnold thought to himself…

 _What WOULD our parents talk about at dinner? Would they actually be interested in getting to know each other, or would Helga's parents spend the entire night implying how little they care about her?_

 _The Corner Store_

Searching the store for the items she would need for Arnold, Helga sneered "Criminy! Maybe I was right about letting Olga take care of things."

"I take it you're not looking forward to dinner?" Phoebe presumed, watching the frown form on her friend's face.

"I don't know Pheebs. I want things to be normal between us, but you know how my family is. If they don't care about what's going on in my life when I talk about it, what makes him think they'd like to participate in it?"

"Well, having relatives become familiar with one another is an important step to take in a serious relationship, despite the other side's opinion of whom they meet."

Letting these words sink in, Helga walked down the aisles, grabbing any items she felt maybe necessary to help her boyfriend.

"I feel like an old lady; pushing around a cart of health and first aid supplies" Helga smirked, seeing her best friend smiling.

"It's very sweet of you to do this for Arnold."

Taking a break from pushing the cart, Helga gulped "Yeah, well...it's not like he could do this himself hehe."

 _Arnold's Room_

While it may have been postponed, Arnold wasn't giving up on the idea of dinner with Helga's parents taking place.

As he sat in his room, waiting for his girlfriend to return, he stared down at the notepad with the sheet of ideas he managed to put together for his and Helga's special family dinner…

Thanks for the meal

Shared interests

Nice gestures

Family memories

 _The Boarding House_

"Thanks for the helps Pheebs." Helga said to her best friend, as the two made their way up the porch steps with the grocery bags.

"I was happy to help Helga."

"Stand back, the circus is in town." Helga scoffed, as her friend gave a troubled look.

Without explained, Helga opened the front door to show her friend the stampede that appeared each time the door opened.

The two then entered the boarding house to find Phil had demanded a rematch with his son at Chinese Checkers.

"Hey guys. How was the store?" Miles asked, hearing the girls entering the room.

"No more exciting than school." Helga derided, setting the bags down on the counter.

"Sounds about right." Phil said, not taking his eyes off the board.

"We haven't seen you in awhile Phoebe. How have you been?" Stella asked, going through the grocery sacks.

"I'm quite well. It's nice to see you both again." she smiled, knowing how happy Arnold must be to have his parents home and safe.

The well mannered girl then turned her attention to her friend and said "I fear I must be leaving Helga. I trust Arnold will recover quickly."

"Thanks Pheebs." Helga smiled softly, patting her friend on the back.

After watching her friend leave the room, Helga turned to see Stella going through the bags, anxiously searching for the soup.

"Would you like to make it for him Helga, while I make him a glass of herbal tea to go with it?"

"Uhhh...sure." Helga gulped, not expecting to be asked that. Had it been her family, she could care less if she dumped a bowl of stale cereal in a dirty dish and called it soup.

These were her boyfriend's parents however. People she actually respected and who she hoped felt the same way about her.

The nervous girl grabbed a bowl the from the caring lady who she hoped she may one day be lucky enough to call her mother-in-law.

Stella watched Helga anxiously staring at the microwave after placing the bowl of soup in there. She could sense Helga's tension, not wanting to do anything to make herself look bad. Was she really that concerned over some microwaved soup? Or was it something else…

"So sweetie, do you cook with your family?"

Although the idea of having her parents meet with Arnold's sent chills through her, the thought of anyone believing they treated her well was enough to turn her tense fearful expression into a hopeless irritated one.

"Pttss...only if you consider watching my parents fawn over my sister gloating about _her_ pastry talents cooking." she smirked, forgetting about Stella's opinion of her.

Noticing the sudden frown forming on the young girl's face, Stella gave a concerned look and asked "Do you not spend a lot of time with them?"

"Not from what I've heard they don't." Phil butted in from across the room.

"Dad…" Miles sighed at the inappropriate remark.

"Are you kidding? Nobody in my house even knows I exist!" the angry girl scowled, as Stella's eyes widened in disbelief.

While Arnold had mentioned the lack of attention Helga faced at home, she hadn't considered the terrible emotional effect it must have had on the poor girl.

BEEP!

As Helga turned to pull the hot soup out of the microwave, she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. "You're always welcome here Helga."

Smiling as she held the steamy dish in her hands, Helga said softly "Thanks."

 _Arnold's Room_

Still sitting on his bed with his notepad, Arnold stared at the conversation topics he had chosen. Tapping his pencil against the bed, he turned his head towards the door as he heard…

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Come in."

Arnold watched to see Helga walking in with a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"Here you go football head." Helga smiled, handing the bowl of soup to her beloved.

"Thanks Helga." he said, anxiously reaching for the soup. Helga took a seat on the bed, watching him blow on the hot meal.

As the two of them sat listening to the sound of him slowly slurping his broth, Helga moved back an inch to feel herself sitting on top of something.

Cocking her brow at the list her boyfriend had made, she asked "What's this?"

"Oh, I thought those would be some good things for our parents to discuss at dinner together."

Tossing the notepad aside, Helga insisted "Arnold, the only person my dad would ever thank for a meal is Olga."

Shrugging his shoulders, knowing there was a good chance she was right, he replied "Well, they don't have to thank anyone. It could just lead to a conversation about the types of meals they enjoy."

"Whatever floats your boat." she scoffed, not getting her hopes up.

After sitting silently for a few minutes, Helga watched her boyfriend reach the bottom of his bowl. "Thanks for the soup Helga."

Doing her best not to blush, Helga reached for the bowl to take downstairs and said "Don't sweat it."

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

"Ha! King me!"

Helga entered the kitchen to see Miles had eased off messing with his father and was now playing a game of regular checkers with him.

"Hey Helga. How's Arnold doing?" Miles asked, turning around in his seat.

"Oh fine. Just fine." she said, placing the bowl in the sink.

"It's nice of you to take care of him. I remember all the times Stella took care of me when we were in the jungle together." he said, forgetting about the game.

"Really?"

Nodding his head, Miles went on with his story. "The first time we met, I fell off a cliff I was eyeing her from. She was looking at all the different shapes the clouds were forming that day."

Shaking her head at the story, Helga smirked "That explains why your son always has his head stuck in the clouds."

"Yet, he's still more down to earth than Pookey!" Phil exclaimed, waiting for Miles to make his next move.

Rather than giving her opinion of the elderly woman, Helga went to the freezer to grab the ice pack Helga had placed in there before bringing Arnold his soup.

As she was headed upstairs with it, Miles said "Let us know if you need anything!"

Helga had always taken care of herself. No one ever cared to know if she needed anything at her house, unless it in some way affected them. "Uhh thanks."

 _Arnold's Room_

"OUCH!"

"Aww suck it up ya big baby." Helga scoffed, as she placed the cold pack against her boyfriend's ankle, that he was unable to reach.

"Is that how you plan on speaking to your kids when they have an injury?" Arnold smiled, leaning against his pillow, as he watched her hold the ice bag against him.

Cocking her brow at the question, she replied "If they're anything like me, they'll know how to handle themselves."

No longer caring about his ankle, Arnold sat up towards his girlfriend and said "If you're as sweet as I think you are, they won't have to."

A heavy swoon released from her as she watched him place his hand on her face. Stoking her cheek with his thumb, he said "I'm sorry about the way you're treated at home, but you're always welcome here Helga."

Helga tittered at the familiar offer and said "You and your mom both need to get your heads out of the clouds."

"I don't think so. They wouldn't have noticed each other if they hadn't been looking at the shapes in the clouds. Just like you and I wouldn't have noticed each other if we hadn't be trying to avoid the rain falling from the clouds." he smiled, with his signature look that made her eyes fall half lidded.

Her heart fluttered not just at the memory of the day, but the idea of him treasuring the moment as much as she did.

The two stared lovingly into each other's eyes until Helga realized how far gone _her_ mind was. Looking over at the time on Arnold's potato clock, she said "It's getting late, I better get going."

A frown formed on Arnold's face, not just because she was leaving, but because he wasn't able to walk her home. "Oh, okay then."

"Cheer up football head. I'll be back tomorrow." she assured him, leaning in to give him a short but sweet kiss.

Grabbing the ice pack to take back to the freezer, Helga said "Last chance to request my services before I leave."

The only request in his mind was that she didn't leave. Knowing that wasn't possible however, he simply said "I think I'll be okay. Good night Helga."

"Sweet dreams football head."

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

Helga entered the kitchen to see Miles and Phil had at last finished their evening of competitive board games. The only person in the kitchen was Stella.

As Helga approached the freezer to place the ice pack back into, Stella turned to ask "How's Arnold doing?"

"Fine. Then again, I think everyone in your family has proven themselves to be a survivor." Helga said in a sarcastic tone that made the sweet woman giggle.

"Well, it wouldn't have been possible without you. You mean the world to our son, and we're very grateful for your help. I'm looking forward to dinner with your parents." Stella assured her, while Helga began to look away.

After telling her family that morning dinner with the Shortmans would be that evening, she didn't have to bother telling them it was cancelled after Arnold hurt himself. She already knew they wouldn't show up.

"Uhh thanks. See ya tomorrow I guess."

 _Helga's House_

Once Helga had completed her lonely walk home, she entered the house to see her family in the living room watching Wheel of Fortune together. While a tiny part of her was tempted to walk in on them and bring up dinner, she wasn't in the mood to be reminded of how little her concerns mattered to her family.

After making it to her room, Helga threw herself onto of her bed, already missing her beloved. She pulled out her locket, running a finger across his sweet face as she said to him…

 _Oh Arnold! How can I force your loved ones to face the horrors of dealing with my disgraceful excuse for a family? To have them bear the burden of spending their free hours listening to why THEY are seen as unworthy in the treacherous eyes of my deplorable caregivers!"_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: We've Still Got This

Helga awoke the next morning, wondering how Arnold was doing. She knew the first thing on his mind when she spoke with him would be if her family was willing to have dinner. Why bother mentioning to them however, if he still hadn't recovered?

 _I guess I'll go check on him. If he's not better, I won't have to worry about dealing with my sorry excuse for a family._

After getting up to get dressed, Helga made her way downstairs to see her family already at the table eating breakfast. Although it wasn't a nice feeling being excluded from their meals, she was relieved to have not been woken up by her sister banging on her door.

As she walked past the table to make her way towards the door, she heard…

"Good morning baby sister! Won't you join us for breakfast?"

Rolling her eyes at the request, Helga scorned "I've got somewhere to be."

"Oh, that reminds me! When are we having dinner with Arnold?" Olga asked eagerly.

Smacking her face with her hand at the idea of them not realizing it was meant to be the previous night, Helga said "I don't know. Why do you care anyway? Don't you have fliers that need to be past out for your precious store?"

"You're darn right we do! I want you back here at 5 o'clock sharp! Got it!" Bob demanded, pointing his fork at his younger daughter.

Helga had gone years not being concerned by Bob's threats. His obsessive desire to pass out fliers for his new store wasn't about to change her opinion (let alone behavior) on the matter.

 _The Boarding House_

"I claim this table in the name of Spain!" said an upbeat woman in a formal dress, as she helped her daughter in law place breakfast on the table for the family.

"You know you're not serving at dinner tonight Pookie." Phil reminded her, hoping to keep dinner with his grandson's girlfriend as normal as possible.

"How _is_ Arnold doing this morning?" Miles asked, looking over at his wife.

"I'm going to take him some breakfast now. Hopefully his ankle isn't as bad as yesterday." she said buoyantly.

 _Walk_

Staring sadly at the ground as she made her way towards her boyfriend's house, Helga couldn't help but envision what dinner with hers and Arnold's parents would be like if it did end up happening…

" _It's so nice to see you again!"_

" _Fine. Fine. So what are we talking about that's so important I had to miss the wheel?"_

" _We just love having Helga over!"_

" _Who?"_

" _Helga...your daughter?"_

" _Oh right. Right."_

 _Arnold's Room_

"It's not so bad this morning." Arnold glanced at his ankle, while Stella carefully placed a hand on it.

"It doesn't seem to be swollen anymore. If Helga's family still wants to, they're welcome to come over."

"Great!" Arnold's eyes grew wide with excitement, until realizing with his injury, he wouldn't be able to cook with Helga.

"What is it sweetie?"

"Helga and I were going to cook for everyone tonight. I guess I won't be able to do much like this." he sighed with regret.

Placing a hand on her son's shoulder, Stella said "Don't worry, your grandma and I will take care of everything!"

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

Finishing up his meal, Miles pushed aside the plate of finished pancakes and said "Mom may have gotten a little eccentric over the years, but she's still a great cook."

"Yeah, just wait 'til you try her raspberry cobbler." Phil glared, knowing the hours he spent in the bathroom every time she made it for him.

The two then heard a knock at the front door.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Oh doggone it! I already told that Scottish girl I don't want any cookies." Phil whined, heading towards the door.

He then opened it to see Helga standing there anxious to see her beloved. "Oh hey there, shortman's girlfriend!"

"Uhh hi. Is Arnold around?" Helga asked nervously, already knowing the answer.

"Hehe yes, he's still upstairs. Come back for another check up?" Phil winked, making the young girl blush profusely.

 _Arnold's Room_

"Well, you can talk to her about it when you see her."

After discussing what dinner would be like that evening, Stella was ready to head back downstairs when the two of them noticed Arnold's door beginning to open.

"Hello sweetie! We were just talking about you." Stella admitted, eyeing her son's girlfriend standing in the doorway.

"Come in Helga!" Arnold insisted, after not hearing a response from her.

Stella took notice of the excitement on her son's face the moment he had seen his girlfriend. It was wonderful seeing he had someone who meant so much to him. From what she was able to put together, Helga felt the same way about him.

Standing from her seat on the bed, Stella headed for the door and said "Let me know if you two need anything."

Once again Helga felt a twitch in her stomach at the offer. Feeling so welcome in another person's home almost felt as though she was being invited into a new family.

Noticing Helga hadn't said a word since she entered the room, Arnold patted for her to take a seat beside him. "Are you okay?"

Taking a seat on the bed, Helga looked down as she began twiddling her thumbs. "Your parents aren't still expecting to have dinner tonight are they?"

Arnold gave a perplexed look as he lifted an eyebrow and said "Yeah? Have you not said anything to yours."

Sighing with frustration, Helga began to clench her fists and said "Of course I have football head. That doesn't mean they care to come. Heck, they didn't even remember it was supposed to be last night for crying out loud!"

"So when do they think it is now?"

Crossing her arms in frustration, she replied "I didn't tell them because I knew they wouldn't show up. Olga may _pretend_ to care. If she actually did, she would have remembered asking about it last night. Oh brother."

Seeing the upset look on her face, Arnold reached for her hand and said "My family's really looking forward to this; almost as much as I am. I know we can get them to come."

"I hate to break it to you Arnoldo, but there's not much you can do with that messed up ankle of yours."

Knowing she had a point, he said hopefully "What if I get my parents to call and invite them over?"

"Pttss...it's their funeral." she scoffed, not believing they would have a better time succeeding at it than she would.

Rubbing her hand with his thumb, he said softly "You'll have to be the one to ask my mom to do it. Like you said, there's not much I can do with this hurt ankle."

Helga's eyes widened at the thought of requesting this from someone. If she didn't like asking people for help (all because of her family neglecting her), why would she like the idea of asking someone to speak to her family for her?

After taking a deep breath, Helga got up from the bed and derided "You're lucky you're injured right now, otherwise I would never give into such a pathetic request."

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

"I decided pasta, a salad, and some dinner rolls would be good for dinner tonight." Stella said, watching her husband play cards with his father.

"As long as it doesn't have raspberries, I'll eat it." Phil said, picking up another card from the deck.

Stella turned her attention towards the doorway when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Hello sweetie. Are you and Arnold doing alright?"

"Of fine. Just fine." she said nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well he still can't walk, he must not be that fine." Phil reminded them.

"Dad…"

"What? Would you be fine with not being able to walk?" The elderly man asked, not receiving a response.

"Is there something you needed to ask us?" Stella asked, seeing Helga still standing in front of her.

"Actually, Arnold said you guys are still planning on having dinner with my family tonight."

Nodding her head anxiously, Stella said "I've already got what we're having picked out."

"Well, I don't think they're going to come. Pttss...at least not if _I'M_ the one asking them." Helga leered, picturing the reactions she would be receiving from her request.

"Why do you say that?" Miles asked, placing his cards down on the table.

"Like I said, no one in my house cares to remember I exist. They wouldn't _dream_ of doing something they didn't feel would benefit themselves." Helga reminded them.

"Hmmm….that's a shame." Phil mumbled, keeping his eyes on his cards.

 _Helga's House_

"What the heck did ya do with the keys this time Miriam?!" Bob scowled, as he searched the house.

While Olga anxiously waited for her dad to find the car keys, so the two of them could be on their way to the copy store, the phone began to ring…

RING RING RING

"I'll answer it!" the overly enthusiastic girl screeched, as she ran for the kitchen.

"Hello?!"

"Hello. May I please speak with Mrs. Pataki?"

Glancing at her past out mother on top of the counter, Olga replied to the woman on the other line…

"I'm sorry, mommy's not able to talk right now."

"Oh well, this is Mrs. Shortman, Arnold's mom. I wanted to invite your family over for dinner tonight."

A wide grin began to grow on Olga's face, having been re-invited to dinner.

"Oh yes! We can't wait to come! What time is it?"

"Is six o'clock okay?" Stella asked hesitantly.

"That sounds perfect!"

"Great. See you tonight."

Olga hung up the phone just in time to hear…

"Found 'em! Let's get going! Who was that on the phone?" Bob asked, leading his daughter out the door.

"That was Arnold's mom, reminding us about dinner tonight." she said happily.

Halting in the middle of the sidewalk, Bob said "Oh no! We've still got fliers to pass out. I told her to be back here at five sharp!"

"But daddy, it's not until six?"

"Fine. Fine. Let's get going." Bob sighed, not looking forward to the evening planned ahead.

 _Arnold's Room_

"So, what do you think would be some good interests to share with them during dinner?" Arnold asked, hoping to do what he could to make this a less stressful evening for Helga.

Shrugging her shoulders at the question, she sighed "Beats me. Bob doesn't find anything he can't make a profit from interesting."

"He must have some hobbies. What about golf?"

Cocking her brow at the suggestive topic, Helga replied "Arnold, do you _really_ think it's a good idea to take a stroll down _that_ memory lane at dinner?"

Thinking back to the conflict that had occurred between Phil and Bob during their game of golf, Arnold replied "Uhhh I guess not. There has to be something besides business he cares about though."

After watching her continue to sit silently, not caring to think of anything, Arnold added "Or we could just spend the night talking about old memories with our families we don't mind sharing with each other?"

Helga turned her head and sent a look to her beloved that implied _Are you kidding me?_

"Stop wasting your time worrying about it Arnold. They're not going to come anyway." Helga sighed, feeling she knew her family all too well.

Before Arnold could say anything, the two looked over to see the bedroom door opening.

"Helga sweetie. Your family said they'll join us for dinner tonight!" Stella said excitedly, as a wide smile formed on Arnold's face.

"Really?" Helga asked suspiciously, not knowing what the catch could be.

As Stella nodded her head, she replied "Yes. You're welcome to stay until they arrive. If you'd like to help me prepare dinner, I've already started on it."

"Okayyy...sure." she gulped, again feeling unworthy of being of some assistance to someone so kind and caring.

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

Standing beside the counter, chopping vegetables with her beloved's mother, Helga listened to her say "So, you don't spend any quality time with your parents?"

Helga did her best to hold back her laugh, when hearing the question. The closest she had ever come to that was the 'quantity time' she had been forced to spend with Bob.

"They seem to enjoy saving their good parenting skills for their other child." Helga smirked.

"They should still give you some attention?" Stella insisted, feeling Helga had to be exaggerating a bit.

"Pttss...I don't think those two even know what that word means when it comes to me." the neglected girl simpered, placing the chopped vegetables into the dish that had been set out.

Seeing the frown forming on Helga's face, Stella replied "Well you've grown into a wonderful person, despite the little support you've been given along the way."

A smile began to form on the young girl's face as she looked at Stella and said "Thanks. And um...thanks for letting me stay here when I need to."

 _Arnold's Room_

Arnold laid on his bed watching the clouds go by through his glass plated ceiling. He was beginning to wonder if perhaps it was pointless to help with the dinner conversation. Perhaps they should just let their parents handle things themselves.

His thoughts were soon interrupted when he turned his head to see his bedroom door opening. Helga entered the room with two yahoo sodas, as she approached her smiling boyfriend.

"Here you go football head." she said, handing him his drink.

"Thanks."

"So how's your ankle doing? I never did ask you before." she realized, feeling guilty for becoming so wrapped up in her usual self-loathing state.

"It's getting better. I'm sorry I couldn't help you cook." he said sorrowfully, as he watched her stroke it gently with her thumb.

"Pttss...don't worry. I could tell by the little time I spent with your mom how much she enjoys that kind of thing."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Arnold blushed as he said "Uhhh yeah. She and my grandma both do I guess."

"Don't expect that from me when we get married." she sniggered, taking a sip of her drink.

"We could take a cooking class together." he winked, reaching out for her hand.

Cocking her brow at his eagerness, she replied "Or...you could just handle it for us. You're praised for everything else you do. What's one more quality to add to the list?"

"One of the reasons I wanted us to make dinner for everyone was because I thought it would be a fun thing to do together." he said, rubbing her hand softly.

Helga's eyes stared softly into his emerald ones as she listened to these sweet words. It touched her to know she had at last reached the point where he would be happy doing the simplest of things as long as he did them with her. "Thanks football head. It would have been."

Seeing the guilty look that statement brought to her beloved's face, Helga then added "We've still got _this_ dinner to look forward to though."

The sound of these sweet words brought an even sweeter look to her boyfriend's face as he pulled her close to his. While pressing his lips slowly against hers, his mind was eager to know what the later evening had in store for them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: It's Not So Bad

 _Copy Stop_

"That's the last of them daddy!" Olga screamed, grabbing the stack of business papers that had printed from the copier.

"Good. How much time do we have to get these things past out before that meeting at Alfred's starts?" Bob asked anxiously.

"It's not a meeting daddy…" Olga laughed "It's a family dinner with her boyfriend Arnold!"

"Right, right Arnold. That's what I said."

"It's four o'clock now…."

"Four, huh? Where the heck are we supposed to get a few extra people to help us spread these things around?"

 _Arnold's Kitchen_

Standing in the kitchen, helping Arnold's mother prepare the last of the meal, Helga continued counting down the minutes until the unwanted event with hers and her boyfriend's parents would be taking place. She had very low expectations as far as the evening going smoothly went.

As Stella looked over to see Helga leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, staring sadly at the floor, she said "Thank you for your help preparing dinner sweetie."

"Eh, it was nothing." Helga insisted, shrugging her shoulders.

"Do you need to go home for awhile before dinner?" Stella asked, wondering if she may have any homework to complete.

Helga's mind flashed back to the threat Bob had made about helping with the fliers. It dismissed the idea even quicker, when she said to the caring woman "Nope, I'm good."

 _Helga's House_

"Huh? What? Oh..I'm...I'm awake." Miriam said, tilting her glasses, feeling someone shaking her intensely.

"Wake up mommy! We're having dinner at Arnold's! Olga exclaimed, as she raced upstairs to change her clothes.

Having sat there a moment, letting what her daughter said sink in, Miriam got up from her seat at the counter just as her husband walked through the door.

"Well that's taken care of, no thanks to the girl. Let's get the rest of this day over with." Bob insisted, marching past his exhausted wife.

 _Arnold's Room_

"One hour to go!" Arnold said excitedly, as he watched his girlfriend sitting beside him, rubbing his hurt ankle.

"Pttss...yeah. Should be a blast." Helga frowned, not caring how obvious she made her negative opinion of the occasion.

Noticing her hand beginning to slowing cease rubbing his ankle, he reached for it and said "Everything's going to be fine."

 _30 Minutes Later_

 _Helga's House_

"This better be worth missing the wheel." Bob sighed, waiting for his wife by the door.

"Relax daddy! I've already set the tv to record it!" Olga said proudly.

"Put some hustle in it Miriam. I didn't get dressed up just to spend the last of my weekend waiting for _you_ to do it!" The angry businessman scowled, not knowing what was taking his wife so long.

"I'm doing the best I can B!" The tired lady whined, making her way down the stairs with her purse.

 _Arnold's Dining Room_

"Lady Eleanor should be arriving any moment!" Pookey exclaimed, as she and Stella placed the food on the table.

"Not if ya keep talking like that she won't." Phil muttered, knowing his wife wasn't one to impress people. Then again, Bob Pataki was just about the last person he would care to impress.

"OUCH!"

The group then turned their heads to see Helga helping Arnold make his way down the stairs. Stella quickly headed over to help her son, who was leaning against his girlfriend.

"Be careful sweetie!" she insisted, grabbing his other arm.

"He's hopping down the steps using the only stable leg he's got, leaning against someone taking their time helping him down. I'd say he's being as careful as he can." Phil said wittily.

The girls helped Arnold over to a chair in the dining room, as he anxiously awaited for the Pataki's to arrive.

"What time is it?" Arnold couldn't help but ask.

"We've got about another…." Before Miles could finish his response, the group heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Stella smiled, heading for the door.

Helga sighed as she leaned back in her seat, preparing for a disaster to strike.

Arnold's smile turned to a frown as he listened to the upsetting sigh release from his girlfriend. Taking her hand in his under the table, he began to rub it with his thumb.

Helga turned to face her beloved with a feeble smile forming on her face until she heard…

"Oh this is so exciting!" Olga squealed, wrapping her arms tightly around her sister.

"Okay! Okay! Sheesh!" Helga scowled, pushing her annoying sibling away.

"Kid's got more spirit than Pookey!" Phil couldn't help but point out, watching the excitable girl take a seat beside her sister.

Stella began passing around the plates, as Helga's parents took their seats. "It's so nice to see you all again!"

"Uh huh. So what's this all about? The girl causing problems?" Bob assumed, not watching his youngest daughter smack her face at the accusation.

"Of course not! The kids just thought it would be nice for us all to get together for dinner." Stella explained.

"Is that why you bailed on passing out the fliers?" Bob asked, leaning forward around Olga to glare at Helga.

Rolling her eyes at the remark, Helga replied "What did you even need my help for when you have The Golden Child?"

"Don't worry Helga! My friends from college agreed to take some and passed them out for us!" Olga said excitedly, missing the point of her annoyance.

Arnold sat there as he watched the frustration already forming between Helga and her family…

 _I've got to think of a way to change the subject?_

"This pasta you helped make sure is good Helga!" he said, hoping to encourage her family to give her a break.

"I'll say! No raspberries whatsoever! Phil smiled, nearly finished with his first serving.

"What kind of food do you like Olga?" Miles asked as Helga leaned back in her chair, knowing what was about to happen.

"Oh, I like to cook all kinds of yummy casseroles and soufflets. I'm always coming up with new recipes!" the zealous girl bragged.

"What kind of recipes?" Stella wondered, as her eyes lit with curiosity

Arnold sat there full of guilt, seeing his plan had backfired.

"Oh all sorts of things. After making my lemon soufflet for daddy so many times, I decided to add an extra ingredient, and made a lemon-lime soufflet."

"That sounds interesting." Miles agreed, while Helga was just anxious to have the meal over and done with.

"Something interesting Helga did recently was write a poem that won first prize in our school's writing competition." Arnold interrupted, thinking back to the list of topics he had chosen to discuss at dinner.

Helga's eyes began to widen with fear, not knowing what made him think she would be okay with discussing something so personal in front of them.

"First prize huh? So where's the trophy?" Bob asked, not having heard about this.

"There isn't one." she scoffed, knowing that was all he cared about.

"Do _you_ like to write?" Stella asked Bob, curious to know where Helga's literature abilities came from.

"Not unless it involves making money." he said bluntly, staring at the remaining food on his plate.

"What kind of things do you enjoy doing?" Miles insisted on knowing.

"Work, work, and work." Helga sighed, knowing he'd have nothing better to say.

"Hey! Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey! I do a lot more than work!" Bob scowled, pointing his fork at his daughter.

"Mhmm….daddy likes to go windsurfing and jet ski!" Olga nodded.

"Not since that terrible beach trip Miriam, the girl and I went on, where I got sunburned. We're never going back to that dump!"

"Oooohhhh...I remember that trip! I was stranded on an island for days! Maybe even weeks! I was saved by a bunch of ducks that quacked for these two weird fellas with hippy looking hats!" Phil informed them, as Arnold rolled his eyes.

The purpose of the meal was to bring Helga closer to her family by having them take an interest in what was happening in her life. Like everything else of Helga's however, her family seemed to see this as one more assignment to cross off their list of daily tasks when it came to her.

"Helga sweetie, could you help me in the kitchen a moment?" Stella asked, rising from the crowded table.

 _Kitchen_

"The pie should be ready to serve now." Stella said, pulling the blueberry filled pastry out of the oven.

"Pttss...we could have just let _Olga_ make it. Bob will find a way to give her credit for it somehow. Oh brother." Helga scoffed, leaning against the counter.

 _Dining Room_

"And that's how I won the award for best pianist." Olga finished, as the girls were entering the room with dessert.

"Sounds like you got some competition Pookey." Phil said wittily, knowing what a fan of music his wife was.

As Helga took her seat, Stella placed the pie in the center of the table for everyone to grab themselves a piece.

Having taken the biggest slice he could get, Bob dug in and said "This pie's amazing! Did you make this Olga?"

Helga smacked her face at the assumption. Even the fact that Olga had been with him all day wasn't enough to absorb him from his dedication to giving her credit for everything.

"Actually, Helga helped me make it." Stella smiled, as Bob turned to face her.

"Really? You can cook at Thanksgiving with your sister this year." Bob insisted as Arnold's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, I remember how happy you guys were after she and I came back from our walk."

"You're darn right we were! Don't ever scare us like that again! Got it missy?!" Bob scowled, already finished with his pie.

"Got it _BOB_!"

 _30 Minutes Later_

When the last of the pie was eaten, Bob pushed his plate away and said "Well, time for us to leave Miriam. I need to find out what I missed on The Wheel."

"Thank you so much for inviting us!" Olga said excitedly.

"Thank you all for coming. It was lovely to see you again." Stella said, clearing the plates from the table.

After watching her family leave, Helga sighed, not surprised by the way dinner had turned out. She began grabbing dishes from the table to follow Stella into the kitchen with.

"Well that went just as expected." she smirked, setting the plates into the sink.

"You know sweetie, not all families are the same."

"Pttss...that's obvious." Helga scorned, feeling she had already made that clear to everyone.

"My brother has a son named Arnie…" Stella began as Helga's eyes widened at the sound of the name. "I don't know if Arnold's told you about him?"

"Uhhh...he may have mentioned him once or twice hehe." Helga yanked at her collar.

She didn't want to mention the awkwardness that occurred between them. The idea of telling Stella she planned to steal her son, while he was planning to use her to win the affections of another girl who was already obsessed with her nephew seemed a bit immoral.

"Well, although Miles and I were away for most of his childhood, Arnold's told me Arnie hasn't been too close with his family either."

 _No shocker there…_

"Yet, it's obvious they still love him."

Helga began to cock her brow as she turned to face Stella and asked "And what is it that makes this so obvious?"

"They feed him, clothe him, keep a roof over his head. Although they don't have the same interests, they continue to make sure he's taken care of."

Helga lowered her head a moment, taking this into consideration. As Bob had mentioned not long ago, the idea of her suddenly disappearing had petrified them all.

 _Dining Room_

"Your girlfriend can make dessert any time she wants to shortman!" Phil winked, as he began to leave the room.

"I enjoyed dinner with her family." Miles said, despite a few awkward moments.

Noticing his son leaning against the table with a sour facial expression, he couldn't help but ask "Is everything okay son?"

"I just expected things to go better for Helga. It's not easy getting her family to take an interest in her life."

"Well, from what it sounds like, her dad's a workaholic. Those people don't have an easy time setting aside time for things other than work (let alone realize they're having that problem)." Miles patted his son on the back.

The boys then turned their heads to see Helga entering the dining room after finishing the dishes with Stella. Miles took that as his que to leave the kids alone and find his wife.

As Arnold watched his lifeless girlfriend take a seat beside him, he took her hand in his and said "I'm sorry about dinner. I know it didn't go the way you wanted, but I'm still glad we did it."

"Yeah, it wasn't so bad I guess. Your mom made me realize there are people who have been dealt worse hands in life than I have."

Lifting an eyebrow, Arnold asked curiously "Like who?"

"Oh I don't know? Perhaps a certain football headed someone with a taco headed cousin."

"Whatever you say Helga."

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **THANKS FOR READING**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW**_


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